Quality of Life Comparison

If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of United States, you would:

Health

be 65.7% less likely to be obese

In United States, 36.2% of adults are obese. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 12.4% of people.

live 14.7 years less

In United States, the average life expectancy is 80 years (78 years for men, 82 years for women). In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women).

Economy

make 94.6% less money

United States has a GDP per capita of $59,500, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $3,200.

be 2.8 times more likely to be unemployed

In United States, 4.4% of adults are unemployed. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 12.2%.

be 4.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In United States, 15.1% live below the poverty line. In Sao Tome and Principe, however, that number is 66.2%.

Life

have 2.6 times more children

In United States, there are approximately 12.5 babies per 1,000 people. In Sao Tome and Principe, there are 32.4 babies per 1,000 people.

be 11.1 times more likely to die during childbirth

In United States, approximately 14.0 women per 1,000 births die during labor. In Sao Tome and Principe, 156.0 women do.

be 7.8 times more likely to die during infancy

In United States, approximately 5.8 children die before they reach the age of one. In Sao Tome and Principe, on the other hand, 45.3 children do.

Basic Needs

be 41.0% less likely to have access to electricity

In United States, 100% of the population has electricity access. In Sao Tome and Principe, 59% of the population do.

be 66.1% less likely to have internet access

In United States, approximately 76.2% of the population has internet access. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 25.8% do.

Expenditures

spend 26.0% less on education

United States spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education. Sao Tome and Principe spends 3.7% of total GDP on education.

spend 50.9% less on healthcare

United States spends 17.1% of its total GDP on healthcare. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 8.4% of GDP.

Geography

see 99.0% less coastline

United States has a total of 19,924 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.

Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance

Sao Tome and Principe is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 964 sq km. Discovered and claimed by Portugal in the late 15th century, the islands' sugar-based economy gave way to coffee and cocoa in the 19th century - all grown with African plantation slave labor, a form of which lingered into the 20th century. While independence was achieved in 1975, democratic reforms were not instituted until the late 1980s. The country held its first free elections in 1991, but frequent internal wrangling between the various political parties precipitated repeated changes in leadership and two failed coup attempts in 1995 and 2003. In 2012, three opposition parties combined in a no confidence vote to bring down the majority government of former Prime Minister Patrice TROVOADA. The new government of Prime Minister Gabriel Arcanjo Ferreira DA COSTA is entirely composed of opposition party members with limited experience in governance. New oil discoveries in the Gulf of Guinea may attract increased attention to the small island nation.

How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to United States?
See an in-depth size comparison.